Most television viewers now receive their television signals through a content aggregator such as a cable or satellite television provider. For subscribers to a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service, for example, television programming is received via a broadcast that is sent via a satellite to an antenna that is generally located on the exterior of a home or other structure. Other customers receive television programming through conventional television broadcasts, or through cable, wireless or other media. Programming is typically received at a receiver such as a “set top box” (STB) or other receiver that demodulates the received signals and converts the demodulated content into a format that can be presented to the viewer on a television or other display.
In addition to receiving and demodulating television programming, many television receivers are able to provide additional features. Examples of features available in many modern television receivers include electronic program guides (EPGs), digital or other personal video recorders, “place-shifting” features for streaming received content over a network or other medium, and/or the ability to simultaneously view multiple programs showing on different channels. In the latter case, a “picture-in-picture” (PIP) display is typically provided wherein a relatively small image of a secondary program is superimposed upon a primary display. While television viewers have widely adopted PIP functionality, there nevertheless remains a desire to improve the configurability of PIP features. Moreover, there is a continual desire for more efficient and intuitive user interfaces to the various other features provided by the television receiver, including PIP features.
It is therefore desirable to create systems and methods improving the viewer interface to the television receiver for features such as picture-in-picture. These and other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background section.